Vershnat
Vershnat The Prolific Mother, Warren Queen Greater Deity Symbol: Vagina Dentata Home Plane: Acheron/Avalas/Clangor and Abyss/241st/Palpitatia Alignment: NE Aliases: Niggrath, Teshukret Superior: Maglubiyet Allies: Maglubiyet, Hruggek, Grankhul, Skiggaret, Belgrath, Bargrivyet, Borzsanna, Chelitiara, Dispater, Elishadra, Khurgorbaeyag, Mammon, Nomog-Geaya, Firffuffl'nnb, Kartathok, Kikanuti Foes: Orcish pantheon, Gnome pantheon, Dwarf pantheon, Halfling pantheon, Elf pantheon, Kobold pantheon, most human gods Servants: Mikatet (female half-dragon goblin cleric 20) Servitor Creatures: Barghests, night hags, dragons Manifestations: Teeth or even voices in female genitals, lucidity and conversational ability in very young or fetal goblinoids Signs of Favour: Seemingly spontaneous fertility in female goblinoids too old/young/ugly, unusually large numbers of offspring, unusually strong, clever, attractive, dextrous, or healthy offspring Worshipers: Goblinoids (all) Cleric Alignments: LE, NE, CE Holy Days: Full moon Portfolio: Fertility, Fecundity, Reproduction, the Warren Domains: Evil, Perversion, Protection Favored Weapon: Club ("Brood Bringer") Vershnat was spawned near the dawn of time, descended from still more ancient beings who long precede the present generation of gods, the personified concepts sometimes called Elder Gods or Titans. Some say she is the daughter of the Earth Mother, while others say she was the daughter of Night. Others claim she has some kinship with the elven, dwarven, or orcish pantheons, goblins representing some corruption or redemption of one of those races, though few agree on which one. The Prolific Mother is the mother of every other goblinoid deity. Not just their ancestress, but their mother - every goblinoid god is said to have passed through her womb. This makes their theogony a tangled and contradictory thing; for example, the goblins say she mated with Maglubiyet in order to bear him, and then Maglubiyet sired every other goblin deity. The bugbears claim her as the consort of each of their four male deities, each of them fathering all the others. Only Belgrath, the bugbear goddess of the earth, plays no role in procreation. Even the desert-dwelling bhuka acknowledge Vershnat as the terrifying mother of their gentle, benevolent patron Kikanuti. Lesser deities may have their own mates, but none has given birth, and none ever will without Vershnat's permission. With Maglubiyet she spawned Maglubiyet himself, as well as his sons: Bargrivyet, Khurgorbaeyag, Nomag-Gaeaya and two others that have since been destroyed. Maglubiyet fathered Firffuffl'nnb, the patron of norkers, and Vershnat's three daughters: Borzsanna, Chelitiara, and Elishadra. Goblins and hobgoblins typically claim Maglubiyet as the father of the bugbear gods as well; the bugbears vehemently disagree, though they acknowledge Maglubiyet as a brother of their own gods. There are a few priests of Vershnak among the xvarts, but this is far from an accepted thing for either xvarts or goblins; most clergy among both races deny any familial relationship between their peoples. Goblinoids know that without Vershnat, they would have no children, and thus she has a profound influence over their society and the goblinoid pantheons. She encourages the worship of her stronger offspring and discourages the worship of those of her children whom she considers weak; it was partly because of her influence that Maglubiyet was able to destroy his sons Wogar and Tubro, who tried and failed to seize control of the divine clan from their father. Vershnat is blunt and forthright, prone to mocking those who displease her. By goblin standards, she is quite the comedian. Of her children, Vershnat is closest to her daughters Elishadra and Belgrath, teaching them secrets she shares with no one else. Perhaps she is grooming them to start divine broods of their own, or perhaps she is merely too vain not to demonstrate her breadth of knowledge to others. Shrines to the goddess, deep within the inner sanctums of goblin warrens, contain a huge phallic club, a bowl or cauldron of some sort, and a squat, hideous statue of the goddess herself. Although repulsive by nongoblin standards, the raw sensuality of the idol is obvious. Category:Greater deities Category:Goblin pantheon